Standards for MathematicalPractice

The standards for Mathematical Practice form the backbone for building understanding in Mathematics. You could call them the heart and soul, or the key, or the roots. Whatever metaphor you choose, they are a great place to focus as we "bite into the core."

Math Solutions has an excellent video introduction to the Standards for Mathematical Practice as well as an explanation of each Standard. (once you play the introductory video, click on the playlist to see the additional videos).

A focus on each of the Standards for Mathematical Practice can be found here:SMP #1 - Make sense of problems & persevere in solving themSMP #2 -- Reason abstractly & quantitativelySMP #3 -- Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others.SMP #4 -- Model with mathematicsSMP #5 -- Use appropriate tools strategicallySMP #6 -- Attend to precisionSMP #7 -- Look for & make use of structureSMP #8 -- Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoningThere are many resources available for the SMPs:

Some excellent starter questions for you and your students have been designed in the form of cubes. Each cube has questions for one of the Standards for Mathematical Practice. You can purchase the cubes for K-2 or for 3rd-8th.

Jordan School District has developed excellent posters detailing the standards in kid language. They are available on their site and I have included links below. There's are even K-3 versions in Spanish and Chinese! ​They inspired a version for older students designed by Chris Shore on the Math Projects Journal site. Bigideaslearning.com has another set for older students. Common Core en Espanol has them available in Spanish.